Posted on 05/06/2002 8:07:53 PM PDT by ninenot
Stiffing Simon
By The Prowler Published 5/6/02 1:05:00 AM
CALIFORNIA'S MISSING GOP
How badly has the Republican Party slipped in California? You judge. With six months to go before a critical general election, in which its gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon is running a competitive race against incumbent Gray Davis with little assistance from the California Republican Party, the state party has budgeted less than $100,000 thus far for its absentee ballot program.
In states like California, absentee ballots tend to run in the Republicans' favor, sometimes 2:1 over Democrats. And in past elections, such as Pete Wilson's Senate races or George Deukmajian's runs against L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley for governor, absentee ballots helped push Republicans over the top. But for some reason, the state party, which used to spend more than $1 million on "get out the vote" programs for absentee voters, isn't interested in re-creating that kind of success. "They'd rather have the candidate do it, or try to suck it out of the national party," says a national Republican Committee staffer.
And even though Simon now appears to be a candidate who could make a real race against a weak, unpopular sitting governor, state party boss and Bush administration bagman Gerald Parsky has been less than cooperative with his lead candidate. Take Bush's big trip out West last week on behalf of Simon. According to a state Republican source, the Bush advance team planned two presidential events for the California swing, including a last minute commemoration of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. But according to a White House communications aide, the idea for the L.A. event came from the state party -- read Parsky -- in order to divert major media attention from the later Republican fundraiser for Simon. "The state party asked us for something in Los Angeles to help with minority outreach," says the aide. "It was California's idea to lock out Simon, not ours."
All along, Parsky and his Republican Party minions have been creating problems for Simon. The media chalk it up to the simple fact that Parsky, whose disdain for the state GOP's conservative wing has become legend, wanted Richard Riordan for the Republican ticket, not the more conservative Simon. So why won't the party release glowing internal polling figures that show Simon whipping Davis among Hispanic voters, regardless of party affiliation? Or the internal tracking poll that shows Simon up between four to six points over the past three weeks?
"We're under orders not to provide that material to the media," says a state party staffer in Sacramento. "The Simon campaign can release it if it wants to, but we're not in the business of helping him, at least that is what our bosses are telling us. It's a very uncomfortable situation here."
Things shouldn't be that uncomfortable. Bush and Simon pulled in more than $4.5 million for the campaign, some of which Simon will provide to other Republican candidates. But perhaps he should lend some of it to the state party to fund an absentee ballot drive.
"I don't know why we aren't spending more money on that," says the state party aide. "But it has to be a Bush thing, because we hardly spent any money on it in 2000 for the presidential elections. I don't know how else to explain it."
We can grass roots this thing to:
ABORT DAVIS!
These RAT/MOLES abhor a Republican President or Republican governor and in particuliar one who is will be popular across the party lines like Simon is!
Read Carry Okie's reply #7 above re the dump truck stickers. There are a lot things that we can do to help and bypass Parsky and other RAT/MOLES or whatever their real political leaning is.
Let Carry know if you can help in your area with the big Dump Truck Stickers. I will put on the back of my big OJ Simpson Bronco on its tailgate and carry stickers around to give to those want them.
So I guess you are buying bullets? That's your alternative in California or else running away, or did you already do that? I think Simon has a chance. I don't suppose you remember that Reagan got the same treatment in 1968? Davis is just pathetic enough that we might get away with it again.
Now, I don't understand completely how a statewide campaign works or doesn't work with the state party, but I do know that based on what some high-up, country club Republicans have said, they think that Simon will lose because he's pro-life. What they don't understand is that he will lose if he is PRO-ABORTION! The reason: why would any Democrats or Independents vote for someone who is "just like" Gray Davis? Why would conservative Republicans go out and vote for someone who is pro-abortion? The abortion issue IS A WASH when it is between a pro-abort Dem and a pro-life Republican. It is a NEGATIVE for Republicans when there is a pro-abort Dem and a pro-abort Rep. 30% of the Republicans will just stay home, and pro-life Democrats (they exist!) will vote Democrat or stay home as well.
These people do not understand that conservative Republicans can and should win IF they run a solid campaign, building the grassroots, and spreading the word.
If the state party doesn't want to run an absentee ballot program, sobeit. They would probably f*** it up anyway. Just GET OUT OF THE WAY and let Simon run the operation.
Go Simon! Kick liberal butt!
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